Sep. 24, 2005 - 23 Basic Steps of a Solid Lead Generation Program

Stop It, A 2 Letter Word for the Prospecting Dilemma

Prospecting, the bane of agents old and new; I should be, I need to, Ive got to, I have to, never I want to are the words I hear whenever the subject matter is brought up.  Prospecting conjures up visions of knocking doors and sweating hours on the phone cold calling.  Oh, I know, we cant call anymore since the do not call law came into affect.  Sure, like most agents ever called in the first place.  It seems that the word prospect causes most to cringe, get the hives, or much worse.  Prospecting is just stressful, lets face it.  Whenever we discover something we dont like, we simply need to reframe it to make it palatable. 

Diet is a good example of a word that needs reframing.  Diet has been framed to be negative.  Actually diet is a positive word, Websters first two definitions are:  1 a: food and drink regularly provided or consumed; b: habitual nourishment.  Nothing negative about that; however, listen to the world today:  I cant, its not on my diet.  I have to go on a diet.  This diet is killing me.  I just cant stick to my diet.  I just blew my diet.  Diet is now a negative word and, I must say, it doesnt work for me.  I used to proclaim every year that I was going on a new diet, bound and determined to lose a few pounds, instead I would gain.

I dont know about you but I am a basket case when I lose my car keys, go to the casino and lose $50, or, heaven forbid, misplace my wallet.  My brain will not let me lose.  Ive programmed my subconscious that I am not a loser.  So, when I told myself I was going to lose a few pounds, the internal computer called the brain said, No youre not big guy, you dont lose anything.  So I would unconsciously eat more to insure the no lose program.  Ah, reframe, yes, taking something that the brain believes, even if its wrong, and tweaking it.

At a Chinese restaurant with our friend, Ron Johnson, Broker, in Kenai, Alaska, we sat at one of those tables that turns like a lazy Susan so you can eat off others plates, never quite got the jest of that one.  We ended our meal with a common ritual of opening our fortune cookies one at a time and reading them aloud.  I was the last to open and it was EMPTY!  Everyone went Ooohhhh L  Now, I dont like Ooohhh, so I said (reframe), How blessed I am to have all the fortune I can hold.  Everyone went, AAHHH.  I like that.  Reframe, the art of changing words, statements, or ideas slightly to create a positive action or reaction.

Therefore, since I could not lose weight, I began to give it away, that was positive and easier than diet or loss.  And in the last two years, Ive given away 25 pounds.  TA DA!

Hence, Stop It, prospecting that is, and (reframe) start positive Lead Generation Activities.  Prospecting is difficult, and lead generation activities are easy.  What are LGAs?  In the wonderful world of real estate, its any activity where your involvement could lead to the development of a listing, sale, or referral.  How simple is that?  List, sell, or refer are how we, as Sales Associates, generate income, correct?  And real estate is a JOB, wouldnt you agree?  Then everything we do is lead generation.

DRAWBACKS

1.    Many people who have a license to sell real estate actually dislike the profession.  They dont like sales in any way, shape, or form.  Often, they believe that they can get a license, show up, and get paid.  Wrong, its a JOB and one must work at a job to get paid.  Real estate is a high pay for hard work and low pay for no work profession.  This is why a large percentage of licensed real estate salespeople are starving to death with their little frozen children in the dark, an exaggerated way of saying not earning a living.

2.    Many licensees are not sold on themselves.  You see, in real estate, we sell three things and always in the same order; Self, Company, Product or Service.  If an agent is not   sold on themselves, then how can they expect anyone to buy them, their company, or their product or service? 

3.    Lack of knowledge, this one chaps my lips the most.  Never in my 34 year real estate career has there been more good, available information on how to activate a lead generation system.  ABR, CRS, e-PRO, and GRI to name a few, add to that National and Local Association, Company, and University offerings!  Anyone who doesnt know how ought to quit and go to work for Woolworths.

23 Basic Steps of a Solid Lead Generation Program

1.         Be the positive influence everywhere you are.

2.         Stand Up, Stand Straight, and Stand Out.

3.         Smile, its your biggest gift.

4.         Never share your problems with others, half dont care about them, the other half are glad you got them.

5.         Accept that Wisdom is POWER, not money or knowledge.  Wisdom is the knowledge of how to make, spend, save, and share your money in abundance.

6.         Plan to Succeed, agents dont plan to fail they fail to plan.  ASPIRE, Rossis coaching program on building personal strategic plans.  http://RossiAspire.com

7.         Define your, purpose make it your Brand and mold all you do around it.

8.         Dont sanction incompetence in self or others.

9.         Discover how the CENTER is the new edge.

10.   Omni Task, multitasking is one dimension and doesnt fit with todays world.  Omni Tasking puts you in the center and revolves real time around you.

11.   Put EVERY goal, strategy, and task (personal and business) in your contact management system.  It will allow you to Omni Task.

12.   Schedule and assign a start and stop time to all your (personal and business) tasks.

13.   WORK five scheduled hours a day.

14.   NEVER be late for an appointment, it tells the other person that they are unimportant to you.

15.   Play a little every day.

16.   Refer negative people to other negative people.  They love to cluster.

17.   Listen to others instead of talking about them.

18.   Understand and accept the Law of Reality:  If A lies to B ā€“ A will lie to Me.  Substitute any other phrase for lies to.

19.   Own your mistakes.

20.   Wear your Association, Company, and Personal Brands boldly with honor.

21.   Tell everyone what you do for a living and how much you enjoy it.

22.   Walk, Breathe, and Carry yourself with power.

23.   Never forget to thank someone every day.

Its the little things that are the difference between those who do well in real estate and those who disappear, broken and unhappy.  This is true regardless of the community, your market, your family, company, or age.  Lifes successes are all about caring, strong, flexible, knowledgeable, confident, positive, professionally involved, and involving individuals.  Often we make it difficult by wallowing in our past, worrying about the future, blaming things and others, making excuses, and generally operating out of effect instead of being the cause of our lives. 

The above 23 items are the threads that run true through all of the successful real estate agents Ive taught, coached, or encountered since 1971.  Michael Vance, author, consultant, coach, and my mentor in the speaking business, says, Success is the building and maintaining of Spiritual, Physical, Physiological, Psychological, and Financial Goals.  So Stop It!  Whatever it is youre doing to yourself that causes you to not feel, see, and hear every moment of success you deserve.

Sep. 24, 2005 - Personal Strategic Plan

ARE YOU SUCCESSFUL, THAT DEPENDS

By Jerry Rossi

Fact:  A watched clock moves faster if there is a lot to be done simply because youre too busy to watch it.  Here we are with the year half over and many of us may be asking, Can I finish what I have started within my calendar goal?  The answer, That depends.  Webster defines depend as:

Main Entry: de·pend
Pronunciation: di-'pend
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French dependre, modification of Latin dependEre, from de- + pendEre to hang -- more at PENDANT
Date: 15th century
1 : to be determined, based, or contingent depends on food> Y depends on X>
2 : to be pending or undecided
3 a : to place reliance or trust depend on me> b : to be dependent especially for financial support
4 : to hang down

Just like Webster gives us a choice for the use and meaning of the word depend, we have a choice to complete our tasks by the calendar goal date, or at least to give it our biggest push.  Year end pushes are not unique.  It seems that much of our life has been structured to react to and be constrained by the calendar.  So when we ask the above question, frequently we answer, That Depends.

Using Websters definition #1, fill in the blank:  success depends on __________.  How many said, Money, Cash, Income, Dollars, or Earnings?  Money is only currency used to survive in this Work to Eat World.  Yes, we need money to survive.  Yes show up and get paid should be a daily goal and currency is what we are paid, but is currency a necessity of success? 

At the beginning of the year, many of my students prioritize their personal values, (see Values Prioritization checklist at end) an exercise I have used and shared with students, family, and friends.  Understanding how Personal Values help us achieve or keep us from achieving our goals is a great life lesson.  Example, Betty, a single parent with 3 children, sets a goal to earn a lot of money.  Knowing that if she doesnt specifically define a lot of money and what it takes to achieve this goal, its only a wish like saying she wants to win the Power Ball but doesnt buy a Lottery ticket.  Betty clearly defines a lot of money as $100,000 and creates a plan outlining the tasks necessary to earn that amount by listing and selling real estate.  Let us hypothetically say that her plan includes a 60 hour work week, which Betty accepts and resolves to do.  However, Bettys children, the loves of her life ages 3, 8, and 12, are very active in school, sports, and dance.  Will Betty work the 60 hours a week to achieve her goal?  No, in truth, time away from her children is against her values.  Her goal of $100,000 income is incongruent with her values and, therefore, her values will take precedent.  Values must be congruent with goals in order for them to be achieved.

Interestingly, after September 11^th, 2001, an overwhelming number of people who completed the Values Prioritization list placed Family Happiness as the top priority.  In fact, 95% of ASPIREā„¢ (personal strategic planning curriculum offered by ROSSI Speaks, inc. www.rossispeaks.com ) participants did so.  This being true, why is it that even they fill in the above blank as money instead of Family Happiness?  I believe the answer to that question is Habit.  From an early age, the importance of Money is ingrained within us.  Our government, churches, teachers, and parents fret, even argue, over money.  Entertainment, television, and print media all bombard us with messages that imply money is everything.  The so-called Golden Rule turns green, He who controls the gold makes the rules.  Its easy to control a work to eat world by controlling the money.  The goal of many corporations is to do just that.  Not get your money in big chunks, thats too difficult, but to get your money a little at a time on a continuum.  Its obvious that Three easy payments of $29.95 is easier to make than one payment of Ninety Bucks.  Why do you think we are mailed credit cards by the hundreds and encouraged to freely use them.  Corporate America wants us to all join in and sing, I owe, I owe, its off to work I go.  Like cigarettes, credit becomes a habit, then a fear, fear of 'not having enough money.'  Business uses the fact that, people are more motivated by their fear of loss than they are their desire for gain and creates dependency through credit.

Do I want to work harder so I can charge more?  That depends.  Websters #2 definition of depends states; to be pending or undecided, which means I must not be decided.  In the past, at the end of the calendar year, I would often get a queasy feeling, an unidentified feeling of dread that physically affected my attitude.  It wasnt until I began to write clearly defined goals, congruent with my values, that I understood what caused that feeling.  It was my indecision.  Not having a plan of where I was going, and why, made my stomach jump.  Similar to getting in the car to take a trip and asking, Where are we going?  Or, in Bettys case, Ill work 60 hours a week knowing good and well she didnt have 40 extra hours a week too work!

Will I write and prioritize my well-defined goals congruent with my values and create a plan?  That depends, on who, for what?  Websters #3 definition of depend says, 3a: to place reliance or trust depend on me.  Oh darn, that old depend on self deal again, unquestionably.  Who else is responsible for you, your parents, boss, spouse, children, the Government?  I think not, responsibility is uniquely individual.  If you are hit by a car while crossing the street, was it the cars fault?  How about the driver of the car?  Or is it YOU because you didnt look both ways before crossing the street.  You are the Scottie Dog or Shoe piece in the Monopoly Game of Life, its your sole responsibility to protect your piece.

Can you accept one hundred percent responsibility?  That depends.  Websters 4^th and final definition says, 4: to hang down.  Well, dont hang down your head and feel bad, most of us want someone or something else to be responsible for our actions, or lack there of.  Its human nature to want to be taken care of from time to time.  And in our immediate past, we could work for the man for 50 years and get a gold watch and a monthly retirement check or turn to our Government for social security.  That kind of security no longer exists, or maybe never did, or wasnt enough.  The bottom line truth is, YOU are responsible for YOU.  Your happiness, health, values, income, beliefs, and success are your responsibility.  That doesnt mean you get zero help from others, it just means that they are not responsible for you.

Okay, now back to the end of the year.  Execute the following steps:

• Do or redo the Values Prioritization Sheet.
• Write three specific goals you want to accomplish or finish by year end.  If they are not completed by that time, move the date.
• Prioritize them by asking, Which one is more important to me?
• Verify that these goals are congruent with your values.
• Rewrite each goal in present tense using all five senses as though it has been accomplished.
• Write prioritize and time/date six strategies necessary to accomplish each goal.
• Verify that the strategies are congruent with your values.
• Now, outline all the tasks necessary to accomplish each strategy and time/date them.

Congratulations, youve just created a Personal Strategic Plan.  Review your Plan daily and watch the queasiness go away.  Take a deep breath, relax, and smile that today you wont have to wear depends.

Sep. 24, 2005 - A Wish and a Goal

What a great summer so far with lots of new knowledge, a reawakening, and reframing of past knowledge.  Joe O'Donnell, MD, Advising Dean at Dartmouth Medical School, always meets with the first year students to get to know them and advise them regarding their career goals.  His first question is simply, What are your goals and dreams for the future, etc.?  Often hes asked, What's the difference between goals and dreams.  In that many of my ASPIRE students have asked the same question, I found his answer to be the best Ive heard to date:  The difference between a goal and a dream is, a goal has a timeline.  If you recall in the ASPIRE book Chapter 1 on page 8, I describe the difference between a Wish and a Goal as follows:

A Wish is a dream or desire that one cant, or wont, commit time effort and energy to its achievement, or has limited possibility of realization.

Example:

I wish I would win the lottery.  Cant or wont if you dont buy a ticket, and limited possibilities of winning because of the odds. 

A Goal is a personal want, need, desire, or dream with a defined possibility of achievement in which one will plan and commit time, effort, and energy to realize its outcome.

Its far simpler to understand that to turn a wish (aka a dream) into a goal, one only has to plan for its achievement, create a timeline for strategies and tasks, and, like magic, wish comes true.

Daily, I watch smart people struggle, unhappy with their position, possessions, and purpose.  One client recently complained how they just couldnt seem to get anywhere; their business sucked, their relationships were unfulfilled, they dont have any fun, and they felt depressed.  I asked, What plans have you made to change this condition?  Oh, you mean that strategic planning stuff you taught me in ASPIRE?  Im sure its good Rossi, but I dont have time for it.  My life is crazy and its all I can do to keep my head above water, let alone spend time on that.  I asked them to elaborate on just what they were doing to keep their head up and they replied, Working for a living!  Doing all the stuff I have to do in order to have a few closings to pay what bills I can.  Hauling kids, taking care of the yard, cleaning house, shopping for groceries, and sitting floor and opens.  I have no time for myself and you think I should sit down and write some five senseless statements!  Wow, not like I havent heard that before.  I think Ive even said it.  The truth is, without a plan to get somewhere, youll get exactly where youre going; No Where!

Plans dont have to be elaborate, they just have to be.  It wont work to wish that it was done, you cant try to get it done, you must just do it.

Almost every week now I hear from an ASPIRE Expeditor (past or present) who has had an epistemological experience or two regarding their personal plan achievements.  Rob McCain of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Professionals in Iowa City, IA called recently and said, Rossi, I was just driving home from the dealership in my wifes new car and it hit me.  The sounds, feelings, and sights were almost identical to the five sense statement I had written in my ASPIRE personal strategic plan.  I had to call you and tell you thanks.  You helped make the magic come true in so many ways.  Hearing from Rob was great and I was pleased that Rob gave me credit; however, he did it, I was just along for the ride.

May your summer dreams have timelines and may your successes be planned.  And remember, You Deserve It!

Sep. 16, 2005 - A Simple Plan

A Simple Plan
By Rossi

Keeping your Economic Engine fueled and rolling and your Life Plan on track daily for success is a Choice.  I look forward to our triumph.